Attire for dining room, young adult male

[CanWeGoYet?]

My son and I will be on a 14 day transatlantic this april. He has a suit for the formal nights, and enjoys going to the dining room so I know he will want to dress for this. How about on the non-formal nights, his wardrobe is currently jeans and logo tees. I know he will need to buy some new clothes for the cruise, are dockers and dress shirts the norm for older teen males / 20 year olds? I have read the transatlantic cruises tend to be more casual than others, this will be our first transatlantic and also first for cruising on X. He will want to dine in the dining room & not the buffet areas, but I know he will be concerned about not standing out or looking dorky.

[ellbon]

polo shirts, and short sleeve dress shirts. pants at night.. any color.

[hylasgirl]

My son and I will be on a 14 day transatlantic this april. He has a suit for the formal nights, and enjoys going to the dining room so I know he will want to dress for this. How about on the non-formal nights, his wardrobe is currently jeans and logo tees. I know he will need to buy some new clothes for the cruise, are dockers and dress shirts the norm for older teen males / 20 year olds? I have read the transatlantic cruises tend to be more casual than others, this will be our first transatlantic and also first for cruising on X. He will want to dine in the dining room & not the buffet areas, but I know he will be concerned about not standing out or looking dorky.

 

 

There will only be "smart casual" and "formal" which is really nice. Yes, dockers and polo shirts will be the norm for anyone. He could probably get away with black jeans and polos also. When we did the Northern European cruise on the Century in July, we saw many many teens in jeans. No one was turned away and I really don't think it was a big deal. It isn't for me anyway... Enjoy!

[omeinv]

I would agree that, to completely not stand out, dockers or similar pants and either polo shirts or (probably slightly better) button-down casual shirts. Younger people can certainly "get away" with less, but since he's apparently concerned enough to wonder, and desiring to meet the dress code, it should certainly be encouraged. Another piece of clothing I find handy, even though there are no longer "informal" nights is a sport coat.

 

Harris

Denver, CO

[Eleris]

are usually the ones in the kid's camp. A 20 year old is an adult. The dress code on X is slacks/polo shirts etc. It is on their website and easy to follow. My son is 18 and has never worn jeans in the dining room. He has been cruising since he was 7. Having said that he usually packs 2 or 3 pairs of dockers and mix and matches his shirts. Two jackets for the more formal nights and two ties. Not a big deal since you are only in them for a few hours at dinner time or when walking around the ship for the shows or casino. Oh and don't forget the dress socks! :eek:

[hajekfam]

My son and I will be on a 14 day transatlantic this april. He has a suit for the formal nights, and enjoys going to the dining room so I know he will want to dress for this. How about on the non-formal nights, his wardrobe is currently jeans and logo tees. I know he will need to buy some new clothes for the cruise, are dockers and dress shirts the norm for older teen males / 20 year olds? I have read the transatlantic cruises tend to be more casual than others, this will be our first transatlantic and also first for cruising on X. He will want to dine in the dining room & not the buffet areas, but I know he will be concerned about not standing out or looking dorky.

We have done four transatlantics and have found them to be dressier than Caribbean cruises - perhaps due to all those leisurely sea days or the fact that it is a longer cruise and there are more older and experienced cruisers onboard. In fact on a couple of transatlantics (back when there were three dress codes), all the gentlemen at our table (and we had never met before the cruise) wore tuxes for formal nights, suits for informal nights, and sports jackets on casual nights. This was at late seating.

[niborHS]

I agree with Eleris. We cruised with our sons from the time they were 5 & 8. This was one of the ways that we taught them that there are places that you go where you have to dress appropriately. They are now 20 & 23, and when we got to a nicer restaurant at home, like a Morton's, and I tell them to get dressed, I don't have to worry about what they will put on. I credit the years of cruising for helping with this.

[Tinwoman]

My son and I will be on a 14 day transatlantic this april. He has a suit for the formal nights, and enjoys going to the dining room so I know he will want to dress for this. How about on the non-formal nights, his wardrobe is currently jeans and logo tees. I know he will need to buy some new clothes for the cruise, are dockers and dress shirts the norm for older teen males / 20 year olds? I have read the transatlantic cruises tend to be more casual than others, this will be our first transatlantic and also first for cruising on X. He will want to dine in the dining room & not the buffet areas, but I know he will be concerned about not standing out or looking dorky.

 

You know it would be fun to put on jeans and flip flops and watch the nashing of teeth. :D

[CanWeGoYet?]

Thanks for the great advice to all! We'll have to do some shopping, he is not a huge fan of polo shirts but we have time to find some other options.

[CathyCruises]

How about Hawaiian shirts? Can he handle those? Might be an okay alternative.

[CanWeGoYet?]

How about Hawaiian shirts? Can he handle those? Might be an okay alternative.

 

I will have to check with him, my hunch is he will use a derogatory term I don't approve of to describe them. He is quite picky about what he is willing to wear. I have picked up dress shirts for him that seem perfectly fine to me, but he will comment "Mom it looks like a shirt for a 40 year old man." :confused: To me it looked similar to the other dress shirts in his closet, perhaps just a little less detailed in the trim.

[CanWeGoYet?]

You know it would be fun to put on jeans and flip flops and watch the nashing of teeth. :D

 

;) It might be fun, but he is far too self conscious to want to draw attention to himself in this way.

[cvat]

How about Hawaiian shirts? Can he handle those? Might be an okay alternative.

hawaiian shirts are allowed only from St.Kitts to San Juan.

FromSan Juan to Maimi not more.

You have to ask for extra permission from Security officer.

 

They have extra form for this- not to be mixed with the form for jeans!

They will explain it to you!

[BurgerBits]

A collared shirt with a few buttons (or button-front) will do. Prints and solids are fine.

 

An alternative could be a few of those very sharp 'mercerized' cotton T-shirt style short sleeved shirts with a more tailored neckline than a normal T-shirt. My DH owns several of these; they look great with or without a sport coat. DKNY for men also has several T-shirt styles that would be acceptable. Any mock-neck plain short sleeved top will work, too.

 

My 20-yr-old nephew is very concerned about 'fitting in,' and he finds these shirts quite acceptable as well - and not too 'old guy clothes' for him :D!

 

We've purchased them at Nordstrom and Macy's. Hope that helps!

[nothriver]

I'm in exactly the same boat, so to speak. My son, age 15, has no problem trading khakis for jeans and casual loafers for sneakers, but he has a t-shirt wardrobe, and we have not been able to find shirts that we can agree on. I plan to try the sporty shops that carry North Face, Patagonia, etc. I'm hoping Sheels, REI or one of our similar locally owned shops might have something. Some of these brands make shirts are poly blend that won't require ironing. I personally prefer polo style shirts that won't need pressed but my son refuses to wear those.

 

I agree with others that I expect teens and young adults to follow the dress code. Unless of course MY teen has stains on all of his khakis by the end of the cruise at which point we might have to imporvise. Unfortunately, khakis show stain when jeans don't, it is a huge drawback in expecting a young teen to dress in khakis every night!

[JanineM]

How about Hawaiian shirts? Can he handle those? Might be an okay alternative.

 

I don't think I'd bring a Hawaiian shirt for a transatlantic.

 

Button down shirts, golf shirts, even a nice v-neck sweater with a nice non-picture tee shirt underneath would probably look fine.

[spearmint]

My son and I will be on a 14 day transatlantic this april. He has a suit for the formal nights, and enjoys going to the dining room so I know he will want to dress for this. How about on the non-formal nights, his wardrobe is currently jeans and logo tees. I know he will need to buy some new clothes for the cruise, are dockers and dress shirts the norm for older teen males / 20 year olds? I have read the transatlantic cruises tend to be more casual than others, this will be our first transatlantic and also first for cruising on X. He will want to dine in the dining room & not the buffet areas, but I know he will be concerned about not standing out or looking dorky.

 

Your boy will be fine in dockers and dress/sport shirts. He can never go wrong with button-down collars and there are styles that are for young men that he will be "cool" but eminently presentable.

It is nice to see that a young fellow wants to go to the dining room rather than the buffets, and that he wishes to not stand out by doing the normal teenage thing...jeans, t-shirts, ballcaps, sneakers. Congratulations to you for instilling in him to dress properly for the occasion/dress code, and congratulations to him for wanting to do so. Tell him not to be surprised if he gets complimented from some of us "oldsters" on how sharp he looks...and nicely dressed young ladies will be checking him out as well!:)